I'm Not Okay I Promise
by LivLuvLaf44
Summary: Rachel is a single mom raising her 6 yr old son. Scratch that. Rachel is a single mom raising her and Puck's 6 yr old son. Puckleberry endgame with a tad bit of Samchel thrown in for fun. Fuinn,Tartie,Brittana,&Klaine also.
1. Chapter 1

**So, HI! Holy crap, this is my first FanFic. I'm excited, sorry. Ok so yeah.. Sorry for any mistakes I made. I literally need your feedback to know if this is ok or not, so please R&R :) **

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><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

I laid there in the cool darkness, just taking in the peaceful silence. Silence. I missed it sometimes. It was in these moments that I let myself think about _him_. His piercing hazel eyes that showed me exactly what he was thinking, even if he didn't want me to. They showed his vulnerable side, the side he closed of from the rest of the world. His ever present smirk that would only grow after he said a dirty joke, or if he caught me "appreciating the view". The way this smirk melted into a soft smile in the private tender moments where he opened himself up, took all his walls down for me, and when I would do the same for him. The way that, no matter how much I hated to admit it, he had a body of a freaking Greek God, and the way the he never let you forget it. It was in these secluded moments that I would allow myself to open the door in my mind that I always keep bolted shut and let all the memories I keep piled up in there flow out and take over my mind. I could think about him for hours. Oh, who am I kidding, I could think about him for days, but I don't. I don't think about him all the time because it kills me. It kills me because there is this deep, burning pain in the pit of my stomach that I know he caused. It kills me because when he left, he split my heart straight down the middle and took a part of it with him. Does he even know he still has it? That he still has a huge part of me? And if he does, does he even care? Does he even care about what he did to me? Does he even give a damn the he broke me, broke me into so many little shattered pieces that it has been nearly impossible for me to get to where I am now? With all these questions whirling around my head, a single tear slips down my cheek. Just as I am about to release the rest of the tears that have been building up behind my eyelids during my whole inner monologue I had going on, I hear a knock on my bedroom door. I quickly wipe my tear with my sleeve and sniff back the waterfall that is threatening to burst any second. I put all my memories back in that little black room and bolt the door again. "Come in." I say. My door creaks open and reveals my little boy. My pride and joy. The only thing holding me together at the moment. Elijah Berry runs in the rest of the way and does a superman dive on my bed. "Morning honey. How did you sleep?" I ask him as he gets up and sits cross legged in front of me. "I'm hungry. Feed me woman!" he replies back in his "manly" deep voice. I chuckle and quirk one of my eyebrows. "Can I please have some breakfast mom?" I giggle, "I thoughts that's what you said." He smiles back at me. "What would you like hun?" He looks deep in thought, with his hand stroking his chin and his eyebrows knitted together like that. "Pancakes!" he screams a few seconds later. "Alrighty. Pancakes it is. Go put your slippers on. I'll be out in a minute." Eli jumps off my bed and scurries out of my room, shutting the door behind him. I slip out of the covers and leave my feet dangling over the side of my bed for a moment while I think about my son. My 6 year old son, Elijah Noah Berry. He is a perfect combination of me and his father. He has radiant tan skin, short chocolate hair, which is almost always spiked nowadays, and gorgeous hazel eyes. His father's gorgeous hazel eyes. They look so alike, it's scary. He has a love for music, he is teaching himself guitar now, and is mature for his age, which he get's from me thank you very much. He is the most perfect thing in the world. A troublemaker at times, and very stubborn, but still amazing. He is all I, Rachel Berry, could've ever wished for.

Now, if you ever told 17 year old Broadway obsessed, dreaming of Tony awards and of New York streets me that I would end up a single mother raising her son in non other than Lima, Ohio, she would have gone into a long winded rant about why that would never happen and how you most be delusional. I know, me, the girl who was so high on the thought of getting out of this town, is now living in it, might seem a little odd, but let me explain. Lima is actually not as bad as everyone always makes it out to be. Sure, it's small, but I've found that 'small' is just another word for 'quaint'. I've also mellowed out dramatically since high school. I got a major reality check and realized that no matter how much you plan out your dream, it doesn't always guarantee that it will come true.

Being a pregnant high school senior does that to a person. Oh yeah, you don't exactly know what happened do you. Sorry. Well, here it goes. After Finn and I reunited in the beginning of senior year, we quickly realized that we just didn't work. We never really worked. After that was settled, we decided we were better as friends and went our separate ways. His separate way lead him straight back to the one and only Quinn Fabray. Don't worry though; I was actually happy for them. They just worked. They made each other happy, and that was all that mattered. My road led me straight into the one and only, Noah Puckerman. I guess if I really think about it, in one way or another, it had always been him. Anyway, we got together for the rest of senior year, and about halfway thru it, I found out I was pregnant. I remember that night. I had called him in tears, saying how I was so sorry, and how he couldn't leave me. Finally, after about 10 minutes of attempting to decode my blubbering, he came over. He found me curled up in a ball on my bathroom floor. When he crouched down beside me to ask me what was wrong, I just pointed to the counter where the stick lay. He got up and took it into his hands. He stared at it for what seemed like an eternity, expressionless. Just as I was about to start to bawl again, his face broke out into the most beautiful, happiest smiles I had ever seen. He scooped me up into a hug and twirled me around a few times. It was like some kind of twisted fairytale, but it worked. The next 7 months were filled with love. He held my hair during the morning and 'pretty much whenever I caught a whiff of certain foods' sickness, got all the foods for my cravings, even the most absurd ones, and stood by me thru all the mood swings. He was amazing. I think I fell more in love with him during those 7 months then I could have ever imagined. Then the day came, our graduation. We had a plan. We were both going to stay in Lima for a little while. Then when our child was old enough (we wanted the gender to be a surprise), we would move somewhere we both loved. Graduation went great. Tears were shed, promises of never losing touch were given, and millions of pictures were taken. Our whole group (glee club) decided beforehand to have a party at kurt/finn's house, since that was the biggest house at the time, and Carol made the best food. All of us had decided to head home and change before heading over for the party. I kissed Noah and told him I'd see him there. He gave me a peck on the lips before he left. About an hour later, I got to the party. I had tried to call Noah a couple of times beforehand, but he wasn't picking up. I figured his phone was out of battery or something, so I just let it go. It was about an hour later and he still hadn't shown up when I started to panic. I got Kurt and Blaine to drive me over to his house to see what was up. When I got there, all the lights where off. I remembered that his mother and little sister had gone to visit his grandmother this week, so I thought maybe he had just fallen asleep. I used the key he gave me and opened the door. I turned on some lights and yelled thru the house. I padded up the stairs and into his room. Clothes where scattered everywhere, and on his desk lay a note. I walked over and picked it up:

_Dear Rachel,_

_I am sorry, but I just can't do this. I'm not good enough to raise a kid. I'm just a screw up, a loser. I know you are going to make a great mother. I will always love you_

_Love, Noah. _

I remember my knees giving out and me crumbling to the ground. A few moments Kurt and Blaine ran up the stairs. They took the letter of the desk, and after they read it, Kurt knelt down and pulled me to him, holding me as I cried, while Blaine went back to the party to tell the others.

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><p><strong>Yep, the first chapter. Hope you liked it! Will post chapter 2 if at least one person seems to deem it alright. Kay, thx :)<strong>

_**3, D**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! So, thank you all for the reviews of chapter 1, they made my day :) And thanks for the tips too! Without you guys, I would be lost, i swear. I tried to take the advice in breaking up my paragraphs to make it easier to read, so I hope this is a little better of a setup. & also, someone pointed this out too, and so let me say, Puck is gonna be OOC for a little while. I agree 100% that he would never abandon a child like that. He is not like that at all. I love him, so i promise it will be explained later why he did it, and he will be more in character after you know the reasoning behind it :) So, yeah, if he seems a little OOC for a while, please just bear with me. And if anyone else seems a little OOC, sorry. I'm trying my best to keep their personalities and everything, but they might shift a little, but definitely not a lot. Ok, so yes, thank you all for the reviews :) Now, on with the chapter. **

**Oh, and I forgot this, so I thought I might add it now: **

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Glee, or I would keep all those scrumptious boys to myself ;) _

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><p><span>Chapter 2<span>

I shook my head to clear my mind. Now was not the time and I knew it. So I slipped on my slippers, put on my robe, and went out to the kitchen, where I found Elijah sitting at the table, swinging his feet under the kitchen chair. He was a little short for his age, another thing he got from me.

"So pancakes right?" My voice awoke him from whatever thought he had been previously entranced in before I can into the room.

"Yeah, pancakes sound good. What took you so long?" He looked expectantly at my slippers. "They don't look that hard to put on. You feeling alright ma?"

I smiled slightly at the end of his question. I secretly loved it when he called me 'ma'. That was what No…., let's just call him…_him_ (ok, maybe not that original but bear with me), always called his mother. He always used to say that it was a "term of endearment". I always just rolled my eyes and laughed.

Wait. I shook my head again, clearing it for the second time this morning. Actually, for the second time in the last 5 minutes. What was with me today? Thinking of him so carelessly. Maybe I was getting sick….. I didn't have time to finish this thought, because as I focused back into reality, I found hazel eyes staring back at me, full of confusion and concern.

"Mom? You there?" He looked so cute when he was confused. I realized I had zoned out a little bit ago. I smiled at him casually, trying to make it seem like everything was normal, and that I wasn't going a tiny bit insane at the moment.

"I'm sorry hun. Just a few things on my mind. What were you saying?" He stares at me a few more seconds, then simply shrugs, a sign that he knows I'm not completely fine, but that he will let it go. At least for now anyways.

"Just asking how you are feeling? You seem a bit distracted, I guess."

"I'm fine sweetie. Really. Just like I said, just a couple things on my mind. No need to worry. Breakfast now?" At the word 'breakfast', Eli's eyes light up, a huge grin appearing on his face, all other worries about my mental stability forgotten.

"Yes! Bring on the pancakes and bacon!" His bright grin drops as soon as the last word leaves his lips, and I can see the gears in his head turning as he attempts to backpedal.

"I mean, bring on the pancakes and, uh...uh...Not the bacon…yeah! Yeah, that's what I said. I just said the not really quietly. Just wanted to clear that up."

I almost have to laugh out loud at the scene in front of me. Eli attempting to act innocent, at any time, is a hilarious picture in itself. He gets all flustered and glues his eyes to either the floor or the wall. It is quite entertaining.

I probably should explain why he is so flustered about saying bacon. Well, you see if there is one thing Eli loves most in the whole world, other than music, its food. And one of his favorite types of food? Bacon. So whenever he does something bad, one of his punishments is no bacon.

It all started one morning about 5 months ago when he got in trouble for still not cleaning his room like I had asked him too the day before. We had gone out to the kitchen to eat breakfast, after I had given him one of my famous long winded speeches of course, and I had gone into the kitchen to make him some eggs and bacon, but I found that I had forgot to buy the bacon. So I went out and told him we were out of bacon, and for some reason, he thought that that was a punishment for not cleaning his room. I have never seen him clean his room as fast as on that day ever again. So, I stuck with it, for it seemed like a darn good punishment. Of course I have never told him that though, that would just be silly.

So anyway, 2 days ago, while running around outside by Mrs. Wilson's flower garden, like I always told him not to, for Mrs. Wilson had a creepy attachment to her flowers, and no one, I mean no one was ever to touch them. But, since he is a little boy, he did it anyway, and while he was running around, he fell backwards, landing right on Mrs. Wilson's petunias. Well, after I got a 20 minute lecture on how bad a parent I was, not knowing how to control my child and whatnot, and after I checked that he wasn't injured in any way, Eli received what I like to call "a bacon free week".

Since this was only day 3 and he was already slipping and saying that he wanted bacon for breakfast, I knew something was up. Since this wasn't the first time this slip up had happened in the course of these 5 months, I knew exactly what was happening.

I came out of the kitchen and stood in front of Eli, trying to hide my amusement as his eyes widened. "Don't tell me you have broken your 'bacon free week' punishment already? It's only day number 3. This has to be some kind of record."

His face paled as he tried to think of a response. After a few moments, he abruptly jumped out of his chair and said "Well, if you are saying that Sam gave it to me, then you are so wrong!" He smirked at his own 'clever' response to my seemingly tricky question.

At this point, I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my lips, as I quirked an eyebrow and let my amusement slip into my tone. "I never said anything about Sam now, did I Eli?"

His smirked dropped almost as quickly as it had appeared, and his wide eyes and paled expression made a reappearance. "No, uh I mean, not Sam, but, umm. Urgh. I'm busted aren't I?"

"Yes you are mister. Sit down while I make your pancakes. And please be quiet, I have a call to make." I smirked as I made my way back into the kitchen, picking up our house phone and dialing his number, holding between my shoulder and my ear while I started our breakfast.

He picked up on the second ring, and I could hear his smirk through the phone. "Busted already? Wow, I would say that Eli is getting worse each time. Guess I need to teach him better huh?"

"Good morning to you too Sam. And yes, busted already. Now, why don't you come over for breakfast and we can talk about how you are a bad influence on my child." I knew he could hear my amused tone, and I knew that he took this as an 'all clear' sign that I wasn't going to refuse him visiting rights to Eli or anything.

"Sounds perfect. And if anything, he is the bad influence on me alright."

I laughed "Sure, sure. The six year old is the bad influence. Just get over here before you pancakes are all gone."

"Pancakes! Score! Uh, I mean, sure be right over."

"Wow. I have to say, love your enthusiasm over my pancakes."

"Ha-ha. Thanks. Oh, wait. I forgot. Good morning love." I blushed a slight pink as I hung up the phone. Sam just had that affect on me.

Our relationship was casual, nothing too serious because of Eli, but we did care about each other a lot. Sam had been the one I mainly clung to after everything had crashed down. He had been the first one to arrive after Blaine had told them all what happened. He had taken me out of Kurt's arms and literally carried me down to his truck. He drove me home and had held me all night while I cried, uttering apologies and encouragements into my ear until I feel asleep. We were inseparable after that. We did everything together. He had actually been one of the people in the delivery room when Eli was born. He loved that little boy from the beginning.

After that he had stayed in Ohio too, going to Ohio State on a football scholarship. My dads had bought me a small house a couple blocks from theirs and only a couple blocks from Sam's.

He had been like Eli's dad, except he was never called that of course. Eli knew the basics about what had happened. I had brought him up like that. I knew it would get harder as he grew, I knew that, but that's why I was so thankful for Sam. Eli always called him 'Uncle Sam'. It was sweet. But since Sam was so invested in Eli's life, we both decided that since we couldn't deny the attraction between us forever, that we would just keep it casual, drama free. It was good like that, at least for now.

I knew one day I would want to get into a serious relationship, even get married. But that was a long way down the road.

Thinking about Sam made me smile and hum while I stirred the batter. As the stove was heating up, I walked out to Eli. He was staring outside our kitchen window, just staring at the large oak tree beside our house.

I smiled at this. It was so relaxing seeing him like this. After a few moments, I cleared my throat; bringing Eli's attention to me.

I smiled and said as nonchalantly as I could, "You might want to go put some better pajamas on. Sam's coming over." The pajamas he was wearing were fine, but I just wanted to say something other than just "Sam's coming", so I took the easiest choice.

Eli's face brightened, and he jumped up, gave me a tight squeeze, and raced off to his room to change, calling behind him "YES! Thanks mom for not banning him. I love you!"

I laughed to myself as I went back into to kitchen to finish making to pancakes. "That boy." I sighed happily to myself, before pouring the mix into the hot pan.

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><p><strong>So there's chapter 2. I wanted to highlight Rachel's and Eli's relationship a little more in this chapter, and I also wanted to establish Sam's character too.<strong>

**Next chapter: The rest of the Glee gang, and perhaps a little of what a certain mohawked boy's been up too.**

**Thanks! plz R&R :)**

** 3, D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hola! So here is chapter 3. This will explain what the Gleeks have been doing and a tiny bit of Puck :) Hope you guys like it, and thanks for the review of the last chapter, they make me smile. Don't forget to review. Please and thank you. Ok, so here you are:**

**Disclaimer: **_I dont own Glee, or else I'd be pretty darn rich, and I'm broke, so I know I don't own it... _

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>

We had just finished cleaning up breakfast, and I was walking Sam to the door. He had kept to his word, and rushed over to our house. Our breakfast was filled with smiles and laughter, a natural occurrence when the three of us sat down together. To both men's surprise, I didn't even mention the whole 'bacon fiasco'.

Eli had rushed to his room to get changed for the day, so it was only Sam and I standing at the door.

"I had a great time. Thanks for the breakfast. I have to say, your pancakes are always better than the eggo waffles I have stored in my freezer."

I laugh at this, because I know firsthand that, even though Sam is great at a lot of other things, cooking is not one of them. His cooking skills go as far as making mac&chesse, and that is only on a good day.

"You welcome. It was really nice having you, like always. I'll call you later." I smile up at him. He really does have pretty eyes, just not gorgeous eyes. The few reasons they're not gorgeous? Because their not hazel, they don't shimmer with mischief, and they don't adorn a tan, well structured face…

Again? Really? Get a hold of yourself Rachel! Stop thinking about those eyes right now! Am I really yelling at myself, inside my head no less? Maybe all that crazy I had stored up in high school hasn't fully left me like I thought it did.

I decide to think about that later, and continue smiling up at Sam, focusing on his whole face this time instead of just eyes. He smiles back, leans down to plant a gentle kiss on my lips, and turns to walk down my steps to his truck. He waves as he pulls away. I wave back and venture out to my mailbox to collect today's mail.

I'm sorting through it on my way back up the stone walkway. Bill, bill, coupon, advertisement, bill, bill, letter, bill, bill, wait, letter? By this time, I'm at my kitchen table, so I set the rest of my mail and stare at the letter. I never get letters, well actually I do get letters, but only from Quinn, and I can tell this isn't her handwriting or her normal envelope. This one is a deep mahogany color, with gold writing across it. It looks pretty fancy if you ask me.

Curiosity gets the best of me as I sit in one of the chairs and neatly tear open the top of the letter. What I find inside startles me. It is an invitation. To our glee club's 6th year reunion. I know what you must be thinking, "6 year reunion? Why 6 years?" I know 6 years might be a little random, because most of other reunions are 10 or 15 years, but McKinley High has a tradition of 6 year reunions for clubs, so we all just follow along.

But back to the invitation. I guess you can say I'm happy for it. I mean I'm definitely not dreading it. It's actually kind of sweet, because most of us glee members have kept in touch after senior year. We Skype and email quite frequently, its just we never seem to have time to all get together, with everyone so spread out and busy.

After senior year, everyone went off to do their own things. Quinn and Finn went off to Stanford, where Finn got a football scholarship, while Quinn went into Real Estate. At the start of the 2nd year, they decided to move in together, and in the middle of the 3rd year, they got engaged. A couple weeks after they graduated, they were married. They got a house in the suburbs where they currently are now. California really is a beautiful place, and it seems like they fit in perfectly, Quinn a real estate agent, and Finn helping coach at Stanford. During senior year, Quinn and I realized we had no reason to be 'enemies' anymore, since I didn't want Finn anymore, so we became good friends. We write to each other on a daily basis. We could email, but Quinn thinks it's more "elegant' to write, so we do.

Senior year wasn't just a stage for mine and Finn's breakup, but one for Tina's and Mike's as well. Their breakup was mutual, which meant no awkward tension in the choir room. Like my breakup, they decided they were better as friends, and a couple weeks after, Tina was with Artie again. The day they walked into the choir room holding hands, all heads turned to Mike, most of us expecting a big scene, but all he did was smile and nod at the couple, silently giving his check of approval.

So, after graduation, Mike meet up with Matt, who he had kept in close contact with all these years, and they both decided to move to California as well, to LA to be exact. After their 4 years at a dance school, they got their big break, becoming backup dancers in some of the hottest music videos.

Tina and Artie moved to Texas, where Artie decided to pursue his dream of directing while Tina became a lawyer. They have been dating for all these years, and we are all just waiting for a ring.

Mercedes, being the lovely diva that she is, decided to do something a little more extravagant, and moved to Europe. She studied there for over 4 years, learning all different languages and cultures. She now works as a translator and guide for a company who works with many of today's world leaders. She loves it over there, and annually sends us postcards and emails, updating everyone of her current adventures.

The only person they haven't heard from in a couple of years was Mr. Shuester. 2 years after they all graduated, him and Emma got married. He taught for another 2 years, until he decided he accomplished everything he could. So, he and Emma went to live up in Maine, where, last she heard, they owned a B&B (Bed and Breakfast).

Though we all became good friends in senior year, I still had my best friends. 4 best friends to be exact. Kurt, Santana, Blaine, and Brittney. Kurt, Blaine, and I always clicked, and Britt is one of the nicest people on the planet, but Santana and I formed this strong bond senior year. After her secret came out, she seemed more mellowed out. Don't get me wrong, she will always be the fiery Latina we all know, love, and are often frightened by, but we could all tell she was more herself, and after that, we just became best friends.

Those four were living in the Big Apple. Yep, you heard me right; they are living in New York. Kurt and Blaine got accepted into NYADA, but Kurt decided against it, which shocked everyone. He wanted to become a fashion designer, which was his dream. So, he applied and got into FIT, Fashion Institute of Technology, in New York. He is now one of the hottest up and coming designers, while Blaine is staring on Broadway.

The four of them live together now, in a giant 16th floor Manhattan apartment. Santana went to NYU, but got a modeling contract. Britt also went to NYU, got a degree in business, and now has opened a dance school for little kids, which she runs.

They all talk at least twice a day. She would be lying if she said she wasn't jealous of them, because she was. They were all living in altered versions of her dream, and she is 500 miles away in a small town, a mother. Don't get her wrong, she loves Eli and wouldn't give him up for anything, even her Broadway dream, but she still wonders sometimes what her life would be like now if she didn't get pregnant.

She looks at her life compared to everyone else's. They got there. They got to their dreams, grabbed them, and are now living them to the fullest. She looks at what she is now, a teacher. Never in a million years would she have expected herself a teacher and a teacher at McKinley no less. While raising Eli, she got her teacher degree online, and about 1 year ago, when Eli started kindergarten. She teaches math, and she can't really complain. It may not pay as much as she truly would have wanted, but it pays her bills and feeds her family, so she is ok with it. She helps out in the music every now and then, which is an amazing feeling.

Sam works at McKinley too. After he went to Ohio State, he became the history teacher and the football coach.

Anyway, back to the invitation, the initial shock blew over fast and was quickly replaced with giddiness and excitement. She got to see all her friends again. When they all got together, it felt like high school again. She forgot about all her cares and worries and just had fun. Not to mention that they all just about fawned over Eli.

Everyone of them had been so understanding after it all happened. They had never said anything about Puck and what they thought of him, and she never asked. They all sent clothes and toys for Eli at least once a month, and talked with him for a good 45 minutes over Skype whenever they chatted with her. He had about the best group of aunties and uncles a little boy could ask for. He was spoiled rotten, especially at Christmas or one his birthday. They excepted him into their little dysfunctional family as soon as he was born.

She looked over the invitation. It was going to be held at the McKinley gym in 5 days. She smiled and stood up, placing the invitation on the table, and walked over to Eli's door, knocking on it lightly. When she heard a "yeah" come from the other side, she opened it and poked her head in. She smiled at Eli, and said only a few words, "Our family is coming." Eli's face brightened as he leapt into the air, then fell back to the ground, then continued to jump up and down a few more times, all the while screaming "Yes! More presents!"

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><p>Santana saw the envelope and smirked. She knew what it was even before she opened it. She tore it open and scanned over the letter, skipping the nice intro and skipping to the date, place, and time. She then picked up her cell and dialed his number, the smirk never leaving her lips.<p>

He was cleaning up the shop when she called. He picked it up on the first ring, knowing it must be important, since she had just called him on Monday, and she almost never called him twice in one week.

"What?" He spoke as soon as he picked up.

She could hear the worry in his voice and rolled her eyes at it. "Morning to you too Puckerman. Relax, no bad news, just one thing. It's time."

He knew what she was saying. It was finally time, the moment he had been working for these past six years.

"When? Where?" he rushed out.

She chuckled "5 days, the old gym, at 8:30pm"

Five days. Five days and he was going to see them. His heart raced as he felt it's thumping in his ears. He sat down to steady himself. If he wasn't such a badass, he would've fainted, but since he was, he didn't.

"Listen Puckerman," her voice went cold and hard, "I swear to God, you mess this up, and no more chances. I will kill you with my own bare hands, got it? And I know for a fact I won't be the only one."

"You really think I would mess this up? I know you think pretty low of me, Satan, but really?"

If it hadn't been for her giving him a death threat, she might have chuckled at the nickname.

"I would never mess this up, I promise."

"Good. See you then." Then nothing but dial tone rung in his ear. She had never really been good at a simple 'goodbye' had she?

He set the phone down, and that's when it all hit him: he was going to see his little boy for the first time in 5 days. 5 days and he was going to see the love of his life again. And those two things scared the live outta him.

He looked around his shop. It was all he had worked to build in the last 6 years, and he felt that he had done it. He had made a good life for them. Now the question was, would they want to, no, even consider, coming to share it with him?

Guess he would find out in 5 days wouldn't he?

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><p><strong>Ok, so I know the ending was a bit random, but I promise it will be explained in full detail. Just wanted to show that Puck was indeed alive and well.<strong>

**Hope you guys enjoyed it!**

**Next Chapter: Puck. That's all i'm saying. **

**3, D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yo guys. Sorry I haven't updated for a while. School has been brutal, and I'm now sick :/ Meh.. But anyway, here is chapter 4. A little less Puck then I originally planned, but I really wanted a little into Santana, so yeah. Hope you guys like it! Don't forget to review! **

**Disclaimer: **_Me don't own Glee. Never have, never will. That is actually kind of depressing.. _

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><p><span>Chapter 4<span>_  
><em>

For the next 4 days, Rachel was buzzing. She had gotten her dress, her shoes, Eli's suite (which was one of the cutest things she may have ever seen, especially since Eli wore his very un-amused scowl while in the suite), his shoes, and had gotten both of their hair done.

The 4 days went so quick for her that before she realized it, it was the day of the reunion. Since it was a day off today for both of them, she let him sleep in, for she knew it was going to be a long night tonight.

It was when she was sitting on the couch, the sun streaming threw the open windows, reading a book when it finally hit her. A weird, out of place nervous feeling started in the pit of her stomach. She pondered for a moment why this feeling had occurred, for she was surly not nervous for tonight. She talked to most of the gleeks often, so it's not like she hasn't heard from them in a while. But this feeling, this stomach knotting nervous feeling was like one that one would get seeing someone for the first time in a while when you had absolutely no contact with that person. It was a deep feeling, one she hadn't felt for some time.

She shook it off as just a simple case of the 'jitter bugs' and continued with her reading.

Yet, the feeling continued, and increased in fact.

She had a bad feeling that something was going to happen tonight, she just hadn't a clue what.

* * *

><p>The past 4 days had been a whirl wind for her. After she had hung up on him, she just sat there for a while, the reality of what was about to take place finally sinking in.<p>

She had no idea what was going to happen, though she did have some thoughts, and all of them ended with a slap, tears, and a storm out of epic proportions, and all those things equaled her best girl friend miserable and a broken family.

She would be lying if she said she didn't feel guilty about what she had done. She felt the guilt every time she talked to Rachel, or for god sakes, Eli. It had been eating her up inside for the past 6 years, and she was kind of relieved that it would all be out in the open now.

Now, if anyone asked her this, she would deny it to the umpteenth degree and then kill you for even mentioning such a thing, but she was scared. She was scared shoeless. She was scared about everyone blaming her, or worse, thinking she had a part of it all along, but she was most scared about losing Rachel, about having Rachel hate her. Rachel had been one of her best friend's senior year, and their weird friendship had lasted and grown immensely all these years, and she knew she would be nothing without her.

So, you can't exactly blame her for being nervous and fidgety as her, Brit, Blaine, and Kurt walked through the airport in Ohio. When they got their luggage, they would all head off to the hotel for some R&R before getting ready for the reunion tonight.

Most of the group had gotten in yesterday night or early this morning, but no one had seen each other yet. They had made a plan to meet up for the first time at the reunion. It made it more special or something.

Santana gripped her rolling Coach luggage handle tightly as they walked out to the curb to get a cab. Brittney, Blaine, and Kurt stood in front of her, talking animatedly, all smiles, while waiting for the cab. She rolled her eyes, sometimes those people were just TOO peppy, and especially today, she just wasn't in the mood.

Brit had noticed she was edge when they boarded in New York, but Santana had just told her she was tired. Britt, knowing Santana and her many moods, took the hint and dropped the subject. But that didn't mean she didn't glace at San every couple of minutes to try to catch what was really bothering her.

It wasn't Santana's fault really; just bring in the right place at the right time sort of scenario. Though she was happy that she was there when this all happened, it doesn't mean that sometimes she doesn't wish that it had been someone else there instead of her.

* * *

><p>It had all started when Blaine burst through the back patio doors of the HudsonHummel household on the warm summer night of their graduation. The party was in full swing, music blaring through the speakers set up on the deck, people talking loudly and happily to each other, savoring their last high school moments together, most with a glasses of champagne in their hands, so when Blaine rushed through, saying something along the lines of "Rachel….crying….Puck…gone….come…..quickly.." that everyone forgot all about their previous conversations and rushed over to the gasping Blaine.

After Blaine had caught his breath and the whole story had come out, while most of the others went over to Puck's house to comfort Rachel, Santana rushed out and high tailed it the opposite way to find Puck.

That night, you would not want to know what was going through her mind as she drove over to the dinner on the edge on town. Every curse word and insult she knew, in both English and Spanish, were flying out of her mouth at a rapid pace. When she finally made it to the dinner, she parked, got out, and took a look around. Seeing Puck's truck in the far corner of the parking lot, she stormed inside, glaring around, and spotting him a secluded booth. She stomped her way over to him, and right as she was about to let all the venom she had been building up on the ride over here spill out, he looked up and she froze, all the anger leaving her body.

His eyes, his stupid expressive eyes, were completely broken. She had never seen them this broken, even after the whole Beth situation. He looked like a lost little boy who just lost his mother and father. He looked completely helpless.

She got out of her frozen shape, and slid into the booth opposite him. He continued to stare at her, and a little piece of her broke. She instinctively reached across the table and grabbed his hand, attempting to show him a sliver of comfort. He took it willingly, eagerly almost, and squeezed it tightly, before letting it go and turning to look out the window next to them.

They sat in silence for sometime, him watching the stars glimmer outside, and her watching him. The look on his face was oddly familiar to her, so she studied him some more. That's when it hit her; he had a similar look when his dad had left.

Even though they didn't officially know each other until high school, it was a small town, so everybody at least saw everybody around. It had been a cool Saturday afternoon, and she had gone to the park to meet one of her friends. She was walking past the swings when she saw him, swinging by himself, a defeated expression painted on his tan face. His eyes were dead as he looked up at the sky, slowly swinging himself back and forth.

Those eyes, that expression, almost mirrored that day, except that this one looked more hurt, more broken, a far deeper wound.

When she cleared her throat to get his attention so she could find out what the heck was going on, she was thoroughly surprised to hear him speak first.

"I'm not going back, so save the lecture." His voice was horse and gravely, a sure tell sign he had been crying.

When she found her voice, she spoke with all the confidence she could muster, "I'm….. I'm not going to lecture you. I just want to know what's wrong."

He looked over to her, and she say his bloodshot eyes. Yep, he had definitely been crying, and when Puck cried, some major crap must have gone down.

"I need to go. I can't stay here. I need to fix things, make them better. I can't be like him."

Her soft, comforting expression soon changed to confusion as she took in his words. She knew who the 'he' he was referring to was, but she didn't know why he was referring to 'him' at all. One more look into his eyes, and she decided against asking him the obvious question, and took to comforting him instead.

"You're nothing like him Puck, and you know that. You have worked your whole life making sure you wouldn't turn out like him, and you did a hell of a good job. You helped raise your sister, you were always there for you mom. You are the complete opposite of him," She was going to leave it there, but then she remembered why she was sitting in this dinner in the first place, and some of her anger returned, "so don't waste all those years of work for nothing Puck."

She saw him visibly wince at her tone and her words, and he slumped over a little more in his seat.

"That's the point Santana. If I stay, I'm gonna be just like him. I can't be like him, I can't." He had never sounded this desperate before, like he was begging her to see his side of things.

She didn't, couldn't right now. She had to know the full story first. So she asked the question that had been hanging in the front of her mind for the past 20 minutes, "What happened?"

After a few moments of eerie silence passed between them, he picked his head up, looked her dead in the eyes, and said the three words she was sure she would never hear out of his mouth for as long as she lived,

"He came back."

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><p><strong>Hehe, I love cliff hangers. Sorry :) So, hoped you guys liked it, and hope your starting to see the pieces fit together a little better. Kays, so thanks for reading, and I promise the next chapter will be up quicker.<strong>

**Chapter 5: Rest of the dinner scene, Puck's POV & a little of Sam's POV.**

**Gracias!**

**3, D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! IT'S DECEMBER! Only 21 more days until Christmas! Ok, so this chapter is kinda long, and i was debating on whether to attempt to split it, but I kept it the same, so I hope it's ok. This is going to be the rest of the dinner scene. The next chapter will be up really soon, and i know I'm keeping the Puck/Rachel/Eli confrontation/meeting from everyone, but I feel like everything should be out on the table before that happens. Kay, without further ado, Chapter 5 :)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, plain and simple, now let's not dwell on that..

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><p><span>Chapter 5<span>

"He came back"

My heart stopped beating, and I bet my eyes looked as big as the plates at that stupid dinner. I just sat there, breathless, staring at him like an idiot. His just turned to stare outside again, probably so I wouldn't see his returning tears that he was attempting to keep at bay. A cold silence settled between us, as I sat there, mute, trying to comprehend what he had just said.

My brain was in a frenzy, a million and one questions zooming around inside it. What did he mean 'he was back'? Ok, well I could answer that one, 'he' was back. I might be shocked, but that doesn't mean I became stupid all of a sudden. If he was back, why? What happened between Puck and him? What had been said? And the question that was currently blazing in my brain in like a neon sign, what does his father being back have to do with him running away from Rachel?

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally got my act together and decided to voice my questions. "Huh?"

Ok, maybe I didn't voice some of the main questions, but come on; I was still in shock mode.

He attempting to wipe his eyes nonchalantly, but I still noticed it.

"I said, he is back. What part of that sentence don't you understand?" his tone showed his aggravation of having to talk about this, but I am never one to let things alone just because it annoys someone, so I continued, my normal attitude coming back and replacing the comforting façade I had going on.

"No shit Sherlock. I get that part. I mean what the hell happened?" I wasn't one to dance around a subject either, since I prefer to get right to it. No use delaying something when you can just say it straight up and save lots of time.

His broken expression disappeared, and was replaced with a hard glare, focused fully in my direction.

"What the hell do you think happened? He came back. He came to my house while I was getting ready for the party, and told me he wanted to "check how everyone was" and I told him to f off. End of story."

I stared at him, confused expression painted across my face, and an eyebrow cocked.

"Ok…. Then why the hell are you at this crappy dinner? More importantly, if that is "all that happened", then why are you leaving Rachel and your kid? I know you're a bit of a…. let's just say jerk, but you are anything but a coward."

He looked down, obviously cursing to himself at how he didn't exactly think his little plan through. When he looked up, he stared out the window again.

"Fine, maybe some other stuff went down before he left."

"Again, I repeat, no shit Sherlock." His face dropped a little, so I continued softly, "Just tell me what really happened."

He didn't say anything, just continued to stare out the window. It had started to rain, and you could hear the pitter patter of it on the roof.

After a couple of minutes, I was getting ticked. So I thought if he wasn't going to tell me what happened when I was all nice and understand, then I will just have to get him pissed, and make him blurt it out. I turned back into my HBIC attitude, and shock my head back and forth.

"Guess everyone was right about you; you are just a coward. Running away from your problems like a little kid, leaving everyone else to clean up your mess. I would say I'm surprised, but really, who am I kidding. I always knew you were never "father" material. That's exactly why Quinn didn't want to tell everyone that you were the father. She was ashamed of you. Oh, hey. It all makes sense now! That's why she wanted to give Beth up. She must have wanted to keep her, but just didn't want Beth growing up with a crap father like you. Guess Quinn always knew what the rest of us are just finding out.. I.."

I was just about to continue when he whipped his head around and glared at me, his eyes murderous, his face red, and his hands in fists on the table.

"You have no idea what you are saying Satan. The whole Beth situation is in the past, and has nothing to do with right now. And I am not running away. I am going to make a life for my kid, so they don't have to grow up in a crappy life. They deserve an amazing life, and so does Rachel. Hell, they deserve a perfect life!"

By this time he was seething, and I would have been scared if, you know, I wasn't me, and also if we hadn't been in a dinner with witnesses who could help me if he tried to hit me or something.

His voice grew louder as he continued, "You really want to know what he said? Fine. He heard about how Rachel was pregnant, and he came to tell me how I would end up just like him. He said that the situation I am in is almost the same situation that he was in with my ma. He had gotten her pregnant when they were both young, and they had gotten married. Even with my ma's parents supporting them, it was hard, and, even though they were in love, they ended up fighting about everything and growing apart. So, when she got pregnant again, he cracked. He knew he couldn't handle it, trying to support 2 kids and his wife. The pressure got to him. He couldn't take that he couldn't be the man of the house, that he still needed his in-laws money to keep his family afloat, so he split."

He paused, sucking in a breathe after his rant, and his expression hardened, if it was even possible, and his posture began rigid, his fists slamming onto the table.

"He said I would turn out exactly like him. He said that I would be a deadbeat, that the same pressure would come, and that I wasn't strong enough to handle it. He told me that I should do what he should've done in the first place, when he learned ma was pregnant."

He trailed off, and his posture slumped. He lowered his head into his hands, which were being propped up by his elbows. His shoulders started to shake slightly, and I could hear his breath become more labored. It took me a second to realize that he was crying. Actually, silently sobbing was more like it. I reached across the table and stroked one of his hands, silently giving him support.

When he looked up, his eyes were glistening and red rimmed. His face looked more broken then when I had first walked in.

As he gave a shaky breath, he finished his thought, "He told me I should leave. He said it would cause less heartbreak if I left now rather then later. Then Rachel could find someone else to help raise our kid, and the kid would never think know me."

Now it was my turn for my eyes to grow murderous, as I smacked the hand I was previously stroking.

"And you believed him! Are you kidding me? Puck, you are an idiot if you think this is easier. How stupid can one person get? I swear if that's your reason for leaving I'm gonna.."

Before I was able to finish me threat, he held up both hands, shaking them around in the air.

"No! No, that's not what's happening! I would never take his advice, let alone advice as stupid as that."

I squinted my eyes, confused yet again by what was happening. "Then what are you doing?"

He sat up straighter, and looked me dead in the eye, almost daring me to contradict what he was about to say. "I am going away to make a life for my family. I am going away to prove him wrong. I am going to make something of myself, to live up to the potential that Rach keeps saying I have. I am away so I can come back a great father. I am not my dad."

My eyes widened at his revelation, knowing he didn't see all the flaws in his plan. Being his friend, and Rachel's best friend, I knew it was up to me, and only me, to convince him that this plan he had conjured up would do nothing but hurt him and his family.

I took a moment to organize my thoughts, picking which argument to start with. Gosh, this felt like some kind of court.

"Puck, do you even hear yourself? You're leaving your pregnant girlfriend and your unborn kid so you can be a good father. Do you really not see what is wrong with that?"

My eyes begged him to understand. I was silently praying for him to have an epiphany, to realize how stupid and destructive this plan is.

But as I looked into his eyes, I knew he stood firm on this decision, so I decided to take a different approach.

"Ok, fine. Go make something of yourself. I can't exactly see a point to it, but whatever. If you're so stuck on this, then why don't you just tell Rachel, instead of leaving her with some BS excuse that I'm truly afraid to hear."

"You know Rachel. She will just say that I'm perfectly fine the way I am now, and how I don't need to prove anything. She won't let me go, you and I both know that as a fact. If I want to be something for her, I have to do this without her knowing."

I inwardly groaned, knowing he was right. Rachel would never let him just leave by himself, she would want to go with him, and then they are back where they started. So I went with the last argument I had left.

"If you leave, Rachel is never going to forgive you, and neither is your kid. They are never going allow you back into to their lives. You are never even going to be able to be a father."

This shut him up, a good sign, so I decided to continue, using what he had said against him.

"You know Rachel. She will never forgive you for abandoning your kid. She doesn't give a flying crap about you leaving her. If it was only her, we both know she would get over it, but this is a kid. Her kid. Your kid. And she won't care why you did it, she will only care that you did it."

His eyes looked conflicted. Good. Maybe I won. But then his eyes turned determined again. He folded his hands on the table, and sat straight up again. It was scary how much he looked like Rachel in that moment.

"San, I am doing this for my kid. For my family. Rachel will understand. It might take some time, but I know I have to do this, and I know she will understand it."

I was about to open my mouth to rebuttal, but he just hardened his stare.

"Santana, I've made up my mind. This is what I'm doing." Crap. It wasn't even the end of his sentence that made me know it was over, it was how he started it. He never used my full name unless he meant business. I looked into his eyes again. They were are hard as a wall. I knew he had made up his mind, and if there was one thing I learned about Puck over all these years, it was that if he made up his mind about something, there was no changing it.

I sighed, knowing the conversation was over. I wished Rachel had been here. I'm sure it would have gone a lot differently if she had found him. But no use wishing on the past, now all I can do is make the best out of what I got.

"Fine Puck. Fine. When are you planning on coming back?"

His posture relaxed slightly, obviously relieved that I wasn't fighting him anymore.

"That's what I'm still trying to figure out. I want everything to be perfect at that time. I want to already have it all done, ya know."

I nodded. "Have you got any ideas?" "I was thinking the 6 year reunion."

"6 years? Are you serious? You want to miss 6 years of your kid's life?"

He shook his head, "No, of course not. But college takes 4 years, and I'm figuring 2 years to try to find something should be enough time, or at least enough time to start a career."

I smiled slightly at how thorough he was being. He might be insane, but at least he was serious about this.

I sighed, for what felt like the millionth time in the last hour. "What can I do to help?"

His eyes brightened. "You serious?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I'm serious. Knowing how easily you screw up, the least I can do is help with something."

He nodded, not even acknowledging her insult, and his eyes went determined again. "Watch over Rachel. And keep me updated. I want to make sure she and the baby are ok. And I'll need you to tell me when the reunion is, since no one will know where I am. Think you can do that?"

I nodded, "I think I can handle that. I would watch over Ray anyway."

He smiled, a hopeful smile, and his eyes smiled right along with it. He looked truly happy that I was taking care of Rachel. It showed how much he cared for her. Something came over me, my heart felt all warm and such. I thought of how badly Rachel was going to think of him, and I felt bad for him.

"Maybe I can try to make you sound a little better too. You know, not tell her you're a complete moron who she should kill with her bare hands the next time she gets a chance."

He smile became wider. "Really, you would do that?"

I rolled my eyes again. "Listen, I know why you are doing this, and even though I think it's a horrible idea, like seriously, it may be the worst idea ever thought of, but anyway, I can do my best."

"Thanks San that would mean a lot to me." We smiled at each other, a comfortable silence settled over us.

He looked outside, then back at me. "Listen San, if I'm gonna get anywhere tonight, I need to go now."

I looked at him, concern evident in my features. "Now you're completely sure about this Puck?"

"100%."

"Alright then, guess there isn't anything I can say. Call me to keep me updated, got it?"

"Promise San. I'll call you later."

We both got up and hugged. I walked him out to his truck, and waved as he backed out of the parking lot and drove away. I watched until his truck was out of sight, then let of the breath I didn't know I was holding, putting my hand up to my forehead. I knew this wasn't going to end well. Heck, I knew this wasn't going to be easy to go through, but I knew I had to do my part. And right now, my part was to go back home and comfort my best friend. I walked over to my car, and drove the opposite way that Puck had driven a little bit ago, thinking to myself why I had to come after Puck in the first place.

* * *

><p>She sighed at the memory. She relived that night way too many times for her own good, always thinking what she could have said or done to make it go differently, but she always came up blank.<p>

Now, here she was, sitting on a cheap hotel bed in Lima, watching some crappy TV show while Brittany was in the shower. She glanced over at the clock. 4:30 glared back at her in bright red. She sighed nervously. Only four more hours until this all came to light. 4 more hours until Puck was reunited with Rachel, and introduced to his nearly perfect son.

That was one thing Santana wasn't horribly worried about. She knew what Eli thought of his father, and it was ok. Rachel had never wanted to talk about Puck in a bad way. She had told Eli about all the good things he had done and all the good characteristics he had. She had never once said a bad thing about him, and Santana didn't even have to convince her not to. It was the kind of person she was, and it might've had to do with the fact that she was still completely, head over heels in love with him.

Santana smiled. She knew Rach was still in love with Puck, but she also knew how hurt Rachel was after he left. Santana kept up her end of the promise, never cussing Puck out, and only said things like "Well he must have a reason" and such.

She never liked this plan, and there were times that she wanted to rip Puck's arm off and beat him with it, but she kept her cool, and now it was, hopefully, all about to pay off.

She glanced back at the clock, turned off the TV, and listened for Brittany. Once she heard her belting out a Mariah Carey song, she knew it would be a little while till she got the shower, so she laid her head back and closed her eyes, letting her mind wander off.

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><p><strong>So that's it :) Hope you liked it. Yeah, so please Review to make me smile. Thanks!<strong>

**Chapter 6 (& I promise this will come true): THE REUNION! :D**

**3, D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey. So I know it's been a while since i've posted, sorry about that. A lot of crap going on. But anyho, happy 2012! First chapter of the New Year. Woot Woot! Hope you guys like this. I'm sick today, so i can't do much but lay in bed and drink tea, so i will be posting another chapter soon. Nothing else to do, why not write. :) Kay, so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer**:_I don't own Glee, or any of these characters, cept Eli. If I did you ask? I would be on a jet to Hawaii with Mark and Cory :D_

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><p><span>Chapter 6<span>

The music could be heard as soon as they stepped thru the doors. The hallways were only semi lit, so you could easily find your way to the gym. As they walked closer, the music got louder and louder, the halls getting lighter and lighter as well, the anticipation growing with ever step.

Rachel was glad this moment was finally here. She had spent countless days going back and forth with her feelings toward tonight, and she was just relieved it would finally be over. She knew she was going to enjoy this evening, as she finally saw all her friends, and also it being one of her only nights out.

She was also ready to be done with the knot that had formed in her stomach the moment she finished reading the invitation all those weeks ago. It had only grown stronger and stronger each day since then, and she was sick of it, so tonight she could officially put it to rest.

As she strode down the hall, Eli's hand gripped firmly in her left, and her right hand intertwined with Sam's, a new air of confidence hit her. She remembered all those times in high school when she walked down these exact same halls, chin held high, but with all those insecurities hid behind her eyes, dodging slushies and biting comments from the rest of the idiotic student body, alone. She looked at herself now, her beautiful little boy by her side, and she couldn't help but smile.

She had rid herself of all those insecurities long ago. When you're a mom at 19, you start to realize that there are way more important things to be worrying about then what people think of you. She stopped caring about making it out of this town, about proving something of herself, about making people like her. She was a new woman now, and she liked this version of herself a hell of a lot better than her high school self.

Though she would never verbally admit it, she still held onto one insecurities, and it was one she had to physically oppress almost everyday. Puck was that one insecurity to her. Wow, even saying his name in her head gave her a chill. He was the only person that could break her with a glance, ruin her with one word. She never wanted him to have that much power and it wasn't like she gave it to him out of choice, it kind of just happened, and she hates herself for it.

But that doesn't matter anymore, because he is out of her life now, and because of that, he has no hold on her. At least that's what she tells herself.

Why in the world is she thinking about him now? This is HER 6 year reunion. She should be enjoying herself! He isn't even here and he is already ruining her night. See, this is the hold she was talking about.

So she locks those thoughts away in the dark corner of her mind and squeezes Sam's hand, smiling up at him. As he smiles down, she still can't help but think his eyes are all wrong, but she smiles regardless. He is her present, and hopefully her future, right? Why dwell on the dumb past anyway.

They step into the gym and she takes a look around. Cheesy red and white paper streamers hang from the ceiling, slightly reminding her of her senior prom. Another great memory she will save for later, when she's alone, and can let the tears flow freely. The stage is only minimally decorated, but it looks nice. Their club was never about big and flashy things anyway.

Music is playing thru the speakers positioned at the ends of the stage, and the atmosphere is light.

Before she can stop them, memories start intruding her mind, bringing her back to high school all over again. It's only when Eli's hand leaves hers does she snap back into the present, only to see her well dressed son being swung around by a giant wearing a suit, all the while feeling herself being gently tugged in the same direction.

She finally registers what's happening when she sees the blonde haired beauty step out from behind the giant, who she now sees is Finn. Quinn comes over and hugs her tightly, and all the memories fade away, yet she knows they will come back later.

"It feels like I haven't seen you in forever!" Quinn squeals as she squeezes Rachel tighter.

"Sweetie, we just skyped a week ago. Remember, Eli came running threw the background in his Spiderman underwear, then locked himself in his room when he realized you saw?" Rachel laughed. He wouldn't come out for a good 35 minutes, and that was only after Rachel promised to make him chocolate chip pancakes for dinner.

"How could I forget? It's just I haven't actually seen you in person for so long. I forgot how small you are."

Rachel rolled her eyes, which caused Quinn's giggles to grow louder.

"I am the…"

"Perfect height for a petite woman your age, I know, I know. Your still really small honey, embrace it."

Rachel huffed in response, which made Quinn's giggles return.

Rolling her eyes yet again (this was going to be a long night), she turned to Finn and Sam, who were standing to the side, having what seemed like, a heated debate about their favorite superheroes.

"Superman is the bomb. Just admit that and we can all move on with our lives"

"I thought you were cool Uncle Finn! And cool people know that Spiderman is the best. So I guess I was wrong about you."

"Hey! I am cool! I am the coolest uncle ever. And that's why I think Superman is the best superhero ever."

"No! Spiderman is the best."

"No. Superman"

"Spiderman."

"Superman."

"SPIDERman"

"SUPERman"

"Spider!"

"Super!"

"Avatar!"

The two other boys turned to look at Sam with a look that could only be classified as disgust.

"Sorry, but I had to give it a shot. Continue."

"No. Actually I think we've discussed superheroes enough for tonight. Finn, I see you're doing well. Only two minutes into the night, and you've already got Eli all riled up."

Finn pulled Rachel in for a hug "Nice to see you too Rach. And I wouldn't get him all riled up if he would only agree with the facts."

"Those aren't fa..." Rachel's glare made Eli rethink his words, shutting his mouth quickly.

The five stood talking. Soon being joined by Mike and Matt, Artie and Tina, and Mercedes and her date.

They all stood chatting for a while, mostly about how their lives were, their jobs and so forth, and, of course, gushing over Eli ever couple of minutes, while he just stood proudly in the middle, his smile reaching from ear to ear.

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><p>It was about 8:30 when Kurt, Blaine, Brittney, and Santana arrived. It would have been 8:20 if Kurt didn't have to run back upstairs to get his emergency, travel sized hair gel.<p>

Santana quickly scanned the room, spotting Rachel in the middle talking with everyone. She was all smiles and laughter, so Santana knew he could've have shown up yet. He said he wanted was coming a little later, so that Rachel could at least enjoy some of her reunion before he came and screwed it up.

Santana smiled at the Rachel she saw in front of her. She was the animated and bubbly Rachel, carefree and happy Rachel. She loved this Rachel. It was like how she used to be in high school, minus all the bossy and 'I'm better than you' attitude. Rachel looked so youthful when she was like this, but still very put together and classy.

They all walked over to the rest of the Glee clubbers and said their hellos, instantly slipping back into their old routine.

After a while of talking, they decided to dance. Santana watched Sam and Rachel, close together and swaying to the music in the middle of the dance floor.

She sighed to herself. They looked cute together; they honestly did, but something was just… off. They didn't fit perfectly together. Her hands didn't fit exactly behind the back of his neck, and his arms looked almost foreign crossed behind her back.

And the way they swayed together, it was like they weren't completely on the same beat. Close, you could ever say very, very close, but not completely.

Santana did honestly feel bad for Sam. I mean, the poor boy was falling for a girl who had long ago given all of her heart away to another boy.

Though Rachel would argue (feebly if she may add) against it, Puck and Rachel, Puckleberry as most called them, was endgame, no ifs, ands, or buts. That's how it always was, and how it was always going to be.

Honestly, if Sam thought he could escape that fake, he might be more stupid than she already perceived him as.

Don't get her wrong, she liked Sam. Well, kind of liked Sam. Every since the night Puck left, she had this uneasy feeling about him. I mean, don't get her wrong, she is grateful that he helped put Rachel back together, and that he kept her company all this time, not to mention how he was a great male role model for Eli, but she always felt like he was trying to take Puck's place in Rachel's life, which he would never be able to do.

He swooped in and took Rachel for himself the second Puck was gone, and that didn't sit well with Santana.

She was worried of how he would react to Puck's arrival tonight. He would definitely act territorial if anything, but she'd be damned if he tried to stand in Rachel's way, which she almost positive he was going to do anyway.

She watched as he smiled down at Rachel. Yep, definitely felt sorry for him. Poor guy didn't know he was fighting in a war that was already won.

Eh, he was cute; he would find someone that wasn't completely in love with someone else just fine.

She moved her gaze over to the left, where Brit, her Brit, was breaking out all her old dance moves. Her girl had moves, and she knew how to use em. Just watching her made Santana break out into a genuine smile.

She was so caught up in watching the dance floor (where most of her friends attempted to dance, spare Mike, Matt, and Brit) that she almost didn't feel her phone vibrating in her clutch.

It was a text. From Puck. She was scared to open it, afraid it would say something along the lines of "Can't make it. Moving to Africa with my new wife." Or something equally as absurd, but she knew this night meant everything to him, so she swallowed the lump in her throat and opened the text.

'Outside, walking in now. Where are you? Is everyone there?'

She quickly typed back

'To the left of the doors, sitting at a table. Yep, everyone's here,' her eyes shot up and scanned the crowed, noting that Sam and Eli were missing. Maybe that would make the encounter easier. 'Cept Sam and your son, but they are her somewhere. Come on in'

She had never told him Eli's name. She didn't feel it was her place honestly. She wanted Rachel to tell him and explain the reasoning behind it. So Puck usually just called him bud, while she just said your son or the kid. Simple enough.

She was staring at the door now, waiting. Her heart was beating so loud, she could hear it in her ears. She thought she heard her name a few times, but was too focused on the door to acknowledge it.

As she saw that mohawed head stroll threw the entrance, she knew there was no going back.

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><p>Rachel was in the middle of the dance floor, laughing and dancing with Quinn, Tina, and Kurt, watching the guys try and fail miserably at Mike's, Matt's, and Brit's moves. Sam had taken Eli to the bathroom a minute ago, so she was just letting loose.<p>

She had been wondering where Santana was. She had disappeared when they had all started dancing. She had asked Brit, who shrugged and said that she was tired, so she was resting at one of table's for a little while. Rachel decided to go join her, needing a break from all the dancing for a bit.

She had just made it thru the small circle when she spotted Santana at one of the tables in the corner, typing away furiously on her cell.

She was halfway to her when her head snapped up and stared intently at the exit.

"Santana." No answer, so she tried louder.

"Santana." Not even a budge, for her eyes were still trained on the door.

As she stood a few feet from her table, she decided to ask, "Santana, what in the world are you looki..."

The rest of the words got caught in her throat as she turned around and her eyes landed on the figure that had just walked in.

Brown eyes hit hazel and the room went blank.

The music faded away, the people faded away, and all she could see were those eyes.

No, it couldn't be. He wasn't here. No, it wasn't him, but those eyes. No, absolutely not. It couldn't be, but she decided to voice her thoughts anyway.

"Noah?"

Though it came out as a hoarse whisper, he heard it loud and clear, and the sides of his mouth curled slightly at the sound.

While walking into the building, he was going over all the possible scenarios in his head, even the highly unlikely ones, but one of the ones he was truly afraid of was that she would call him Puck instead of Noah when she first saw him. That initial reaction would kill him, because he could take her calling him Puck after the shock of him standing there wore off, which was fine. He expected that from her. I mean, he hurt her so badly that he, at least in her eyes, he deserved to be called Puck.

If she said Noah at first, he knew that somewhere, deep down inside her, she still held some sort of love for him, which meant, in his mind, he had hope. If Puck was uttered first though, she had let go of his memory a long time ago, and he couldn't handle that

So when she mumbled Noah, his heart leaped and he couldn't help the small smile beginning on his face.

"Rachel." His words came out evenly, though he was a mess inside.

Seeing her, after all this time, it took his breath away.

She was gorgeous, more gorgeous than he remembered, which he thought impossible, but there she was.

Her hair was slightly lighter, and a bit shorter, curling right below her shoulders. She wasn't stick thin either, but her curves made Puck's heart beat faster.

She looked like a woman now. Apparently 6 years really changes a person, and for the better in Rachel's case. She looked more confident, more in control.

He could tell she was still in shock, so he just waited. Since he didn't hear anyone yelling, and he didn't feel himself being talked to the ground, he knew that no one else had seen him yet, and that was fine with him. He was happy just relishing this moment, soaking up Rachel's beauty as long as he could, for he knew when the shock left her or when someone else noticed him, this quiet moment would be gone, and the drama would begin.

* * *

><p>It was a couple of moments before she could speak again, for she felt as if she had swallowed her tongue.<p>

He was here, standing in front of her. He had said her name, in that deep, sexy tone he has. Damn that deep, sexy tone! That stupid tone was the reason she couldn't think clearly.

She had dreamt about this moment many times in the past 6 years, always coming up with new things to yell at him and shove in his face. Gosh, she even thought about just going up and roundhouse kicking him, if she could even do that, but still.

She wanted to scream about how he just left her and his son. How hard he made her life. How he had completely annihilated all the dreams she had held so dear. She wanted to smack him, kick him, and just try to make him feel some kind of pain for what he did.

But now, with him standing in front of her, all those wants flew out the window. All she wanted to do now was run up and kiss him, which she wouldn't do but still. She had missed him so much, and now here he was.

She just stared into his eyes, letting the shock keep hold of her a little longer. She loved those eyes so much, and she let herself just drown in them for a moment. She knew the yelling and accusations would begin shortly, so she just took in all she could from this sweet moment, knowing it would happen again for a while.

* * *

><p>She was waiting for it all to blow up. They had been gazing at each other for a few minutes now, and she was happy that he hadn't been smacked yet. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in how everyone seemed to be stuck in their own little worlds, not even noticing the staring contest that was going on.<p>

Though she could see the shock in Rachel's features, she also saw that little bit of hope flare up in her eyes. Though they didn't talk about it, Santana knew she always wanted him to come back, though she knew the consequences it would bring. She was in love with this man, and that was a fact that might never change.

It had been a few more minutes, and just as she was thinking that maybe this wouldn't be as big of a scene as she had initially anticipated, the bubble burst.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

Puck turned to see a fuming Sam behind him. Well crap, he had completely forgotten about Sam. This might be harder then he thought.

He stood up straight, making his eyes cold and hard, his tone even and firm.

"I'm here to see Rachel and my son."

Sam laughed bitterly. "Your son? You think you can leave and he is still your son?"

"He is my flesh and blood, not yours."

"I'm the one whose been helping with him. Who do you think you are? Just waltzing back in here like this?"

"I know I'm not some washed-up blonde idiot who sticks his nose into other peoples business."

"Seriously? This is my business. It became my business when you left."

"This is between me and Rachel. So stay out of it."

"You hurt Rachel enough, and now you'll have to deal with me."

"I can handle you with two arms tied behind my back."

"Really? You think so? Fine, let's see then."

"Stop."

Both boys looked back to see Rachel, still standing in the same spot she had been, with tears in her eyes.

"Stop. Both of you. You're scaring him."

Puck looked down to see a little boy wrapped around Rachel's leg, his face hid against her thigh.

That's when it hit him. That was his son.

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><p><strong>TaDa! Hopefully, you guys liked it. It took me so flippin long to write, then my computer decides to hate me, so yeah. <strong>

**Next Chapter: Puck meets Eli :)**

**Please Review, it makes me smile**

**3, D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ohkay, so I know I have been MIA for the past few months, but I'm back, and really excited to keep this story going, specially since the show won't be back on till September. Anyways, I hope you all like it! :) On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: **_As always, I don't own Glee. I don't know why I have to keep saying it though... It's just so sad... _

* * *

><p>Time stopped. All he could see was a mop of brown hair. Dark brown hair, he noted. The little boy's hands were wound tightly around Rachel's leg.<p>

Rachel.

He looked up and caught her staring at him. Her eyes were wide and swirling with emotion. Sadness, anger, confusion, and …. What was that? Fear. She was afraid. Afraid of him or afraid of the outcome of this whole situation, he wasn't sure, but afraid nonetheless. And the fact that she was afraid because of him, well that just killed him inside.

But that wide eyed bambii look was soon gone, and replaced with a fierce look of determination. Gone was the fear, replaced with fiery anger. He wished for the doe eyes again, but he couldn't dwell on that, because from what he was seeing now, everything was about to blow up.

He saw her suck in a breath before she lowered herself to speak into their son's ear. She spoke so softly that he couldn't hear what she said, but saw the boy's head nod after a few seconds, and how his arms squeezed her leg a little tighter than before.

She stood back up, straightened her posture, and crossed her hands in front of her chest.

"What are you doing here?" She asked thru clenched teeth, her voice cold and hard.

He steadied himself, arranged his thoughts, and said calmly, "I'm here to explain."

He wasn't ready for the bitter laughter that escaped her mouth. "Explain? You came back here after 6 years to explain? Sorry Puck, but it's a little too late for that."

The 'Puck' slapped him right across the face, but he knew this would happen. He had expected nothing less. Hell, if he was in her shoes, he would have already told Sam to beat his ass into next Thursday, but he knew, and was very thankful, that that wasn't the type of person she was, and that she wouldn't do that unless it was absolutely necessary, which he was praying it wouldn't be.

"Please. I know you don't owe me anything, but"

"Your sure as hell she doesn't." came Sam's rough whisper. All it took was a look from Rachel to shut him up though.

"But, if you would just give me a chance, let me just state my case."

She looked back at him, eyes cold as ice, and shook her head.

His heart stopped beating the moment she uttered the words, "I think it's time for you to leave."

He hadn't come all this way to leave just yet. He had to at least put up a bit of a fight, and at the end, if she still wanted him to leave, he would. But he needed her to just hear him out first.

"Please Rachel. All I'm asking for is one chance for you to just hear me out. If you don't want me to stay, I'll go. Please just let us talk first."

Her eyes lost a bit of there fire, and her eyebrows knitted together slightly, a tell tale sign that she was thinking about it.

At this sight though, Kurt and Quinn quickly swooped in. They were two of her best friends, and they wouldn't let him hurt her again. In their eyes, he was as good as dead, and had absolutely no business here at all.

They made a wall in front of her, and he knew this wasn't good.

Quinn had her HBIC look in place, plus her ice queen glare. And for those who know Quinn, HBIC + Ice Queen= Scary Quinn, a force that no one in their right minds would go up against.

Kurt had his crazy eyes going on, hands firmly planed on his hips, and though people usually thought Kurt was as scary as a cabbage patch kid, Puck knew better. He knew that if Kurt wanted to, he could be as scary and threatening as something out of a damn horror movie.

Quinn spoke first, her words as cold and biting as her glare, "She said you need to leave Puck." She spat, "She doesn't want you here, now go."

Puck shook his head, "I need to talk to her."

Quinn scoffed, "You don't have any right to be here, nevertheless talk to her! You gave up that right years ago. You need to leave now."

Puck's aggravation was rising. He understood why they were doing this, and he liked that Rachel had such good friends, but he wasn't going to stand here and take this crap that they were throwing at him. He thought only Rachel had the right to yell at him, since it was their situation anyway.

He clenched his jaw slightly as he spoke. "Listen Quinn, I think it should be Rachel's decision whether or not she wants to talk to me. Now if you would just step out of the way, we can..."

She cut him off, taking a menacing step toward him, and it took him a lot of self control not to take a step away from her. Don't blame him! Girl was down right terrifying right now and the look in her eyes screamed psycho murderer.

"She already told you to leave. Why can't you take NO for an answer? Who the hell do you think you are?" she seethed.

His frustration finally boiled over, as he stepped towards her, noting how Finn stepped towards the pair also. When he spoke, his voice was louder than before, as his hands gestured wildly.

"Who the hell do I think I am? I think I am his f..." The words died on his tongue as Kurt, who before this time had been standing behind Quinn, shooting daggers at him, spoke, his shrill voice loud and commanding.

"Don't you dare even think about finishing that sentence!"

He strode up to Puck, and stuck a finger in his chest as he spoke lowly, making sure only Puck could hear him.

"Don't you dare say the word father. That little boy does not need to find out who you are in the middle of a crowd of people. You have caused enough heartache and trouble in Rachel's life. When will you finally think it's enough?"

Puck opened his mouth to speak, but Kurt silenced him with a glare and continued.

"I don't care why you left. I don't care about your sick, messed up reasoning behind it either. I don't give a damn why your back now. All I care about is that you hurt Rachel, and that you left a little boy without a father." His voice lowered even more, "And if you think you're going to come back here, say a few words, and everything is going to be fine and dandy, you have another thing coming." His eyes softened slightly, and he lowered his finger, "But you are the father, and I believe you should state your case before we kill you."

Puck would've laughed if he hadn't known Kurt was being dead serious.

Kurt flashed him an evil smile before he whispered "I watch CSI every Tuesday night. Mess this up, and I can end you, and make it look like an accident."

Puck gulped in spite of himself, and nodded dumbly. Kurt nodded back, grabbed Quinn's hand, and dragged her over to stand by Finn and Blaine. Since Quinn was silent, he knew she had heard everything Kurt had said, and by the way her eyes were staring at him right now, and that half smirk on her face, he knew damn well that if he messed this up, he would have them to answer to.

He turned to stare at Rachel again, and saw her eyes shinning with tears. It took everything he had not to go over and kiss all her troubles away. But he knew it wasn't his place, and if he tried anything of that sort, all his chances of getting to talk to her again would be blown.

She turned to look at Kurt and Quinn, nodding slightly, silently thanking them. Kurt smiled a bit and nodded back.

Rachel turned back to him, and he knew this right here was the moment of truth. If she told him to leave right now, he would have no choice but to go, even if he didn't want to. He could see the way Sam and Finn were itching to throw his sorry ass out to the curb, and if Rachel told him to go, nothing would be holding them back anymore.

He could see the gears in her head going a mile a minute, trying to think of the best solution. Her eyes brimmed with more tears, but she strongly held them in.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she slowly exhaled a shaky breath. She kneeled down and faced the little boy who had been clinging onto her leg for dear life the past few minutes. She kneeled in front of him, blocking him from Puck's view. He could hear her speak softly, stroking his hair. The boy nodded mutely, and she kissed the top of his head.

She motioned for Santana, who Puck just noticed was standing close to Rachel's right, and whispered something to her. Santana nodded, and looked at Puck for a moment, nodding slightly, then went and picked up their son, and carried him away toward the back exit.

As they were nearing the exit, the little boy's head tilted up slightly, and Puck saw his eyes. His hazel eyes. The kid had his eyes. HIS eyes.

Puck's eyes watered up, but he pushed the feeling down, knowing there was another, larger issue at hand at the moment.

Rachel looked at him again, and slowly started to close the distanced between them. She stopped a couple of feet away from him, and a stray tear left her eye. The room was dead silent as she opened her mouth. He could feel the blood pounding in his ears as she looked him dead in the eye.

She took a deep breath, her arms crossing her chest again, almost like a barrier between him and her heart.

Her voice came out smooth and even, though he could hear the slight waver.

"You had no right coming back here. I honestly don't know why you did. You have no place here anymore. I've moved on, made myself a life, and am raising a child. I'm ok now. That doesn't mean I'm not hurting, but I'm better than I was before. Seeing you here, now, it hurts. I don't really want to hear anything you have to say. It won't change the fact that you left. Nothing will."

Throughout her speech, his heart was slowly but surely sinking into the pit of his stomach, and by the end, it had completely dropped.

That was it. She wasn't going to listen. She had erased him from her life. She moved on, she said. Now all he was to her was a source of pain. It was no use anymore. It was over.

He was about to turn around and leave when she started talking again, her voice gaining a hard edge to it.

"But, you are still his father, and I have wondered these past 6 years why you left. You owe me that. So, I will give you one chance, only ONE chance, to explain yourself. After  
>I get all my answers, you will leave. Are we clear?"<p>

His heart soared. She was giving him a chance! A chance to explain. And though she said he would have to leave right after, this little chance was all he needed. He nodded quickly.

She sighed. "Meet me at the Lima Bean tomorrow at 11."

He nodded, more enthusiastically this time. "I'll be there. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

She rolled her eyes and walked toward the group that was huddled near them. He just stood there, thoughts racing thru his mind, a stupid small grin on his face that he couldn't stop. After what he guessed to be a few minutes, Quinn turned toward him, and said bitingly, "You can leave now. You still aren't welcome here."

He glared at her, about to reply when Finn came up beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist, glaring down at the slightly shorter boy. "Goodbye, Puck." He spat.

Puck nodded, before stealing a quick glance at Rachel. She was in the middle of the dance floor with Brittany, dancing wildly and laughing, seemingly forgetting his existence.

He walked out of there, and new jump in his step, unaware of the soft brown eyes watching him.

As he lay in bed that night, he let the smile that had been trying to make its way to his face every since she set up their meeting tomorrow, go free, and laid smiling giddily up at the ceiling.

He already knew what he was going to say to her, for he had been planning it out for the past 6 years. He was still nervous about how everything was going to turn out, but he wouldn't let that dampen his mood.

That night he went to bed with a smile on his face, and for the first time in a long time, he slept peacefully.

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><p><strong>TA DA! Lol, anyways, hoped you liked it. I'm trying to move it along ya know? Please REVIEW! so I can smile :D Thanks for reading!<strong>

**Next chapter up soon. **

**3, D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey! So, this chapter is all Santana's POV. I know i already put a little bit of her POV in chapter 6, but I really wanted to expand on it. The part in chapter 6 is still fine, but this is just more in depth. It's a bit short, but I wrote it at about 2:30am, so mercy plea :) Ok, so here it is! Sorry it took a bit, but I got it up…. That sounds wrong… but you catch my drift. So, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: **_Yo No own Glee, or any of it's characters… All i own is little Eli… Guess it could be worse.._

They were the last group to get to the McKinley gym. Everyone was already gathered inside, laughing and catching up, normal reunion stuff.

Even though she knew he wasn't here yet, her eyes did a quick scan of the whole premisses just to be sure. Well, actually, no one was staring wide eyes and slacked jawed, and there wasn't any fighting, so of course he couldn't be there yet. She breathed a sigh of relief, which wasn't lost of Brittany, who was beside her, looking beyond stunning in her bright pink and blue dress (some things never change, and Brit's style choices were one of those things. Always the bright and happy wardrobe to compliment her bright and bubbly personality), clasping her hand tightly. Girl was like a damn hawk. Santana turned and looked at her, shooting her a reassuring yet somewhat nervous smile. Brittany's eyes narrowed and her eyebrow quirked slightly, silently asking Santana what was wrong.

That's one sort-of downside to being with someone for as long as they have, that one person knows you inside and out, making it almost impossible to keep something from them. It had been hell these past 6 years keeping the Puck secret to herself, but she managed it.

Damn, Puck…. The whole reason she was in this mess in the first place. Well, actually, to be fair to the poor guy, it wasn't him who caused all this. It was his stupid, idiotic, sad-excuse-for-a-human-being, deadbeat dad who started it all. If he hadn't come back and ruined his son's life by saying all that shit to him, the future would've turned out a lot different, a lot better.

She never understood all the worries Puck had about the future. Him and Rach, well, they would've made it. It wouldn't have been easy, but they had enough love in their lives, enough family and friends who would do almost anything for them and their in-coming baby, that they would have been fine.

But that ass had to come back and fill his son's head with all that messed up crap, make said son have a nice little meltdown, and put together this shit plan in his head that pretty much ruined his life. Well, she is still hoping that that shit plan didn't actually ruin his life, but she can't be sure….

She has been by Rachel's side these past 6 years, and she really doesn't know for sure if the tiny girl is even going to let Puck get one word out before she kicks him in his "happy place" and let's Sam and the other guys take care of what's left of him, not even sparing him a second glance as she leads Eli away before any damage can be done.

The Rachel she knew in high school might take a different approach, probably let him state his case, or hell, just run up and hug him, saying how all is forgiven and how much she has missed him, all the while sobbing like a 2 year old.

But that was the old, naive Rachel. The Rachel that believed in Broadway and happy ending. The Rachel that dreamed of sparkly stars and shining lights. The girl who dreamed of New York, and thought all her dreams were going to come true simply because she worked hard.

No, that Rachel is long gone, buried, dead for good.

The Rachel that she sees in front of her right now, laughing and smiling, right hand clasped tight around the hand of a little boy with hazel eyes and a blinding smile? Well, this is the new and improved Rachel Berry. The Rachel Berry that knows not all dreams come true, no matter how hard you work, or how bad you want it. The Rachel that discovered a life of putting someone else before yourself in everything. The Rachel that would do anything, and she means anything for her son, her true pride and joy.

Santana had absolutely no idea what this Rachel was going to do when Puck showed up. She had been thinking about this day for the past 6 years, and it hasn't helped that she has seen Rachel grow stronger day by day, her despise for Puck growing at the same pace. Now, she doesn't say hatred for Puck, because _hatred_ and _despise_ are two very different things. You can grow to not despise someone. You can forgive them and start to see all the good qualities again. You can grow to love them again.

Hate? If you hate someone, that hate never fully goes away, no matter what you do. You can forgive them, start to like them again, even start to love them again, but that hate? it's always in your heart. Always there, no matter how much you want to move on, you really can't, because what they did to you was so horrible, you'll never be able to fully forgive them, fully love them.

If Rachel hates Puck, that's it. There is no second chance, no clean slate. She has tried her best to keep it from the true, deep hatred point, but, though she will deny it if anyone but her repeats it, Santana is only _so_ good. She can only do _so_ much, and she doesn't know if what she did was enough to keep Rachel on that thin line between despise and hate.

That's another reason she is so nervous for tonight. Not only for the whole RachelPuckEli thing, but because if Rachel really does **hate** Puck, like truly, TRULY hate him, then Santana will have to be the best friend, and keep Puck away.

Yup, she will have to turn on him, just like she did to Rachel when she agreed to keep Puck's secret, but she doesn't care. She might be a bitch in a lot of other areas of her life, ok,a _majority _of other areas of her life, but when it comes to her friends? She only does what she thinks is best for them. She is like freaky loyal, and once she deems you acceptable? Your stuck for life.

So if Rachel needs her to go all crazy psycho bitch best friend on Puck to get him the hell away from her and Eli? Well then call her crazy psycho bitch #1 (because she knows Quinn, Hummel, and Brit will all do the same, but she likes to think of herself as Rachel's BEST best friend, so she gets the #1 spot, thank you very much).

So yeah, she has a hell of a lot to be nervous about right now, and feeling Brit's eyes on her while she goes around hugging everyone isn't helping in the slightest. She's doing her rounds, chatting with everyone, Tina and Artie, Finn and Quinn, Mike and Matt, when she lands in front of Sam.

Lovable little Samuel Evans, with his kind blue eyes, his now dirty blond hair, and his large, pearly white smile. He hugs her tight, saying how happy he is to see her, and asking her how she has been. Her smile is a bit fake while she catches him up on some of the more current happenings in her life, because though she might talk to Rachel everyday, and Sam is almost always around the Berry household, shouting a "Hey" every now and again, she hasn't really talked to him since high school.

She asks how he's been, and he talks a bit about his job and his family, but soon it's all about how well Eli is doing at school, and how great the new glee club is sounding thanks to Rachel and her amazing talent (his exact words), and Santana starts to feel the guilt creep into the pit of her stomach.

Well crap. She forgot about Sam. She forgot about how this would affect him, affect the little family life he has with Rachel and Eli. Don't get her wrong, she does believe that this family is Puck's, and Puck's only, but Sam has been so great. He picked Rachel up at her lowest point, and put her on the path to her new future, all the while holding her hand for the stability and the security she needed. He was like a dad to Eli, without ever actually taking to name. He was perfect. The perfect gentleman, the perfect friend, the perfect role model, and the perfect stand-in father. But that was it, the perfect stand-in father. He wasn't really the father, though to most people's eyes, he was. The male in the Berry household you could say.

But to Santana, it just didn't look right. Sam with Rachel and Eli? Something was just…. off, and she knew exactly what that was. So she swallowed the guilt, and reminded herself that Sam would be fine, that he would go off and make his own family. That was just the type of guy he was. He would be fine.

She repeated this a few more times to herself, and buried the guilt deeper down. There would be more than enough time for guilt after this whole thing was over. So she smiled and laughed, trying to savor the evening as it was now, knowing it wouldn't last very long.

When the dancing started, She thought it was a good idea to sit down. The room was getting stuffy, and she was getting a little antsy, so she thought it best to just fit and calm down a bit. After a couple of minutes, her phone buzzed. She looked down and replied quickly.

She closed her eyes for a brief second, breathed in and out slowly, and shot her head up to stare at the exit, waiting.

This was it…

**YAY! It's done! I wanted to get a chapter in between the Rachel/Puck meeting, and this was it! I actually don't know about what the next chapter is going to be about yet, but i promise to stick at least a little smidge of Puckleberry in it, even if it is hostile Puckleberry ;) **

**Thanks for reading! If you would like to make my day, and I'm praying you do, you can review.. PLEASE! It seriously does make my day. It's a sad fact, bt it's true…. **

**Don't really have an exciting life…. so make it extra special! **

**3, D**


	9. Chapter 9

**So, I think I'm getting better at posting. Since the last chapter was a filler, I figured I should put something in. Hope you guys like it! **

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Glee… I really hate to admit it….. whatever.._

After I was sure he had left, I stopped dancing with Brittany, and went to sit down, Quinn and Kurt appearing at my sides. I sat for a moment, just staring into space. What had just happened?

Well, let's recap. I had been at my reunion, having a great time. Sam had just taken Eli to the bathroom, and I had decided to go take a breather at the tables with Santana. I'm walking to the tables, and BAM! He walks in. Turns my whole world upside down. There's yelling, Eli's scared eyes, protective mother mode, a little more heated conversation, and then I agreed to meet him for lunch…. Ok, I understand everything but the last part. Why did I agree to meet him?!

Right… Because I want answers. I need answers. I **deserve** answers! I mean, come on, he owes me so much more then just that, but that's all I want from him. All I need from him.

I shook my head to clear it, then looked up to see Quinn and Kurt's sympathetic stares. I smiled weakly and blew out a shaky breath.

I'm fine. His being here isn't going to bother me. I don't care anymore. I don't.

Guess that will be my mantra for the next few days.

I grasped their hands and gave them a little, reassuring squeeze. They got the message, smiled, stood up, and left the the table. I followed suit, picked up my coat and purse from a nearby table, and waked out.

It might have been a bit rude not saying goodbye to anyone, but under the circumstances, I knew everyone understood. I needed to go see my son.

Sam was already in the car, engine running. I hopped in, buckled up, and we sped of to the house.

I had told Santana to take Eli back here, so that he would be calm and away from all the drama. I also didn't want him hearing the whole conversation. I didn't want the first memory of his father as him being the guy that all his aunts and uncles yelled at during that one party they went to.

We pulled up to the house and I jumped out, rushing up to the house and unlocking the door. I could hear Sam right behind me, talking to Santana as I rushed around the corner and down the hallway to Eli's room. I just needed him in my arms, I needed my rock to keep my from slipping into the sobbing mess I knew i would become soon. I opened his door, and saw him tucked into bed, reading a book. He looked up, eyes wide.

"Mom, your home."

I smiled, relaxing as I walked over to his bed and sitting on the edge. "How are you sweetie?"

He looked at me confused. "Well, IM ok. Auntie San just brought me home and gave me some ice cream before saying I should go in here and chill until you came back." He stopped, putting his book down beside him, and turning fully to face me, reaching out and taking my hand. "Are YOU ok? I asked Auntie San what happened back at the party, why you looked so pale, and about that guy," My hand tightened around his, "but all she said was that it was nothing, and that I should just wait and talk to you later. So, are you ok mom?"

I smiled slightly, looking at my little boy, pride swelling up in my heart. He was so mature for his age. I scooted him over a bit, climbing under the covers and positioning him in-between my legs, so that his head was lying on my chest.

"I'm ok baby. Just shaken up a bit I guess." I wound an arm around his waist and rested my chin on his head, contemplating what to say next. I didn't really know how to explain Puck to him. I was too mentally and emotionally drained to even contemplate how I wanted the whole "father talk" to go, or even if I want to have it in the first place, but I didn't want to lie to him either, so I settled with telling him the truth, but just leaving out some details.

"That man, he is just someone from the past darling, and, well, he didn't get along with everyone. That's why it was a little tense, but everything is ok now, so don't worry about it, ok?"

I kissed the top of his head after he nodded. "Well then, why don't we rest now. It's been a very busy day."

I slid down and turned over, wrapping an arm around Eli's waist. His breathing slowed quickly, and a couple of minutes later he was asleep. I squeezed him a bit tighter, and closed my eyes, letting a few tears slip as I drifted off to sleep.

She was up at 6:00am the next morning. The house was silent, a few chirps here and there. Even with everything on her mind, she had slept peacefully last night, with Eli in her arms.

She slipped out of bed without waking Eli, nearly falling on her face when she tried. She forgot how small his bed was. She regained her balance and tiptoed out the door, shutting it softly behind her. She went out into the kitchen, making some coffee. If she was going to make it thru today, she was going to need some coffee. Maybe a lot of it.

As she stood there waiting, she almost screamed when she heard snoring. Cautiously, she made her way to the living room, a rolling pin in her hand raised above her head (what? It was the only thing weapon worthy within her reach). When she turned the corner of the living room, she giggled a bit, letting her right hand fall to her side. There, sprawled across her couch was Santana, mouth wide open, arm falling over the side of the couch, and on her floor was Sam, the source of the snoring.

Rachel smiled. Her friends camped out in her living room all night.

She went back into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee, setting out two extra cups for her visitors when they woke up. She decided that making breakfast would probably be a good idea, so she got to work, turning on the small radio she always kept in her kitchen on at a low volume, so that she wouldn't wake anyone up.

Her philosophy? Cooking is always more fun when there's music involved. Well, anythings is more fun with music involved.

It was about 7:03am when she went to wake everyone up. She had made a feast, enough to feed a full army. She cooked when she was nervous, and she was very nervous about today.

She went to wake Eli up first, knowing he would love to help her wake up Uncle Sam and Aunt Santana.

Eli and Rachel tiptoed into the living room, Rachel crouching down next to Santana, and Eli kneeling next to Sam. Both moved in close to their sleeping guests ears, and Rachel counted down with her fingers

3…..2…..1…..

"GOOD MORNING!" Rachel and Eli screamed at the top of their lungs.

Another thing Eli inherited from his mother? His loud, booming voice.

Santana jumped a foot in the air, screaming things in Spanish, while Sam shot across the room.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Santana, language!" Rachel admonished.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I was just woken up by screaming in my ear. Excuse me if I'm a shaken up! What the hell possessed you to do that anyway?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I don't know. I woke up to see two people dead asleep in my living room, thought I'd have some fun."

Sam had lowered himself into one of the air chairs across the room, his breathing finally back to normal.

"That was messed up. Why'd you agree to that Eli? I thought we were friends?"

Eli shrugged, smiling. "Sorry Uncle Sam. I'm with mom on this one. It was fun."

Sam chuckled. Santana on the other hand wasn't so amused.

"So I stay here all night, sleeping on your lumpy excuse for a couch, just to make sure my best friend is alright, and how does she repay me? Rach, I thought you were better than that." She shook her head disapprovingly.

Rachel smiled. "Well I guess no one wants the breakfast I made then. Fine, Eli and I will just enjoy it ourselves, you two can let yourselves out. Bye!" She yelled as she walked of into the dinning room where everything was set out. She sat down, smiling wider when she heard everyone rushing in.

Santana took one bite of the pancakes and moaned. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

Rachel laughed. "Love you too."

After everyone was done eating, Eli went to go get ready. Sam started to clean up while Santana and Rachel sat down in the living room.

"So…." Santana broke the silence. "How ya holding up? What happened after I left? Brit and Kurt texted me the details, but I wanna hear it from you."

"Well, not much. I agreed to meet him today." Rachel stated calmly.

"I heard. You doing ok?"

Rachel nodded, flashing a quick smile. "Yeah, I'm completely…" She stopped. Why was she doing this? Pretending she was ok? This was Santana, she didn't need to lie to her. So, she let herself brake.

She started sobbing. "San, I have no idea what I'm going to do! What am I suppose to say to him? I have all these questions, but i know when the moment comes, I'm going to get all shell-shocked and not ask him. How am I going to be alone with him? I haven't been alone with him in 6 years. I don't know. I'm so scared San! I'm scared of what he is going to say. I… I just…" She started sobbing uncontrollably.

Santana took the girl in her arms, rocking her back and forth, shushing her. "Everything is going to be ok, Rach. I promise. Just calm down sweetie. Everything is going to ok."

"God, and Eli! What am I suppose to say to Eli, San?! What is he wants to meet Eli? They can't meet. They just can't. How do you explain all this to a 6 year old? He is going to be so confused. And hurt! I can't hurt him, San, I just can't!" Rachel babbled, hot tears rolling down her cheeks in an endless waterfall.

"Eli is going to be fine. He is a smart and mature kid, Rach. You raised him well. This is one meeting. You ask the questions, he answers them, okay? We will cross the Eli bridge when we come to it ok? Everything is going to be fine."

Rachel cried for a little while longer, Santana holding her, whispering comforting words into her ear.

After a little while, Rachel stopped. She sat up, wiping her eyes, and straightening her clothes.

"Thanks San. I needed that."

Santana smiled. "Anytime Rach. I'm always here for ya. I promise."

Rachel smiled back. "I know, and thank you for that. I love you San."

"Love you too Rach."

Rachel stood up, a determined look in her eye. "I'm going to go get ready, then I'm going to go and get my answers. I'm a single mom, I'm tough. I gave birth. If I can do that, I can do this."

Santana laughed. "There's the Rachel I know."

She smiled. "Would you mind making sure Eli is getting ready?"

"Got it. And Rach?"

Rachel stopped and turned around. "Yes?"

"You got this."

Rachel laughed. "I know."

Rachel walked into the kitchen, walked up behind Sam, and wound her arms around his waist.

"Hey. Thanks for the help." She rested her head on his back.

"Anytime, babe." He turns around, returning the embrace, looking down at her. "You ok?"

"Better now actually. I just wanted to ask if you could watch Eli while I'm out."

"Course I will. He needs a day with Uncle Sam anyways. Can't have him going all soft." He winks.

Rachel laughed "Yeah, sure. Thanks Sam. I'm going to go get ready." She leans up and kisses him.

"Sorry you have to deal with all this."

"It's ok. Better just to get it over with and move on right?"

Sam smiled down at her. "Always the optimist."

"I try."

"I love you Rach. Don't forget that."

"I won't Sam, promise."

Rachel was in her room, putting the final touches on her makeup (What? She wanted to look good, show him what he was missing), when it hit her.

She was going to meet Puck. She was going to sit down with Puck.

Her breathing became shallow, and she made sure she looked extra good. She needed to look perfect. Then her confidence would be higher, and she would feel better. She could get through this. She was woman, she was STRONG!

Ok, a little too far, but whatever.

She did a last minute touch up, got her purse, kissed Eli, Sam, and Santana on their cheeks, and walked out the door.

The Lima Bean. She never hated the place as much as she did now. It wasn't the places fault, but she needed to hate something right now, and since it was going to house this dreadful meeting, she was blaming it.

She took a few deep breaths, thinking the words that had been in her head all morning: She was fine. She could do this. Everything would turn out ok.

She.

Could.

Do.

This.

She opened the door and shrugged off her coat.

She quickly scanned the room, knowing he was probably already here.

Then she spotted him sitting a booth in the far corner.

Their booth.

That little….. Whatever, it's just a booth. A no memories made here booth…

Hmmph.. This wouldn't faze her!

As she neared the booth, he looked up from his coffee and smiled, his hazel eyes shining.

She could do this. She could do this. SHE. COULD. DO THIS!

Damn….

Did he have to be so attractive?

**Hehe I liked writing the ending. So, next chapter? THE MEETING!**

**Please R&R!**

**Thanks for reading :)**

**3, D**


	10. Chapter 10

**So it's been two years… Sheesh.. I just want to apologize. I moved across the country two summers ago and I guess I got kind of distracted. But, thankfully, I found my way back here, and I figured, especially now that this wonderful show sadly is no more, that I would continue this. Don't even know if anyone is going to read this anymore haha but I want to finish it. So here it goes! Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:** _Please refer ALL previous chapters because, at this point in time, I cannot think of something clever to put here to say that I own nothing but the plot line to this. Thaaaanks._

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><p>He stood up, wiping his hands on the front of his jeans. "Hey Rach..el." He wasn't sure if using a nickname would hurt at this point in time, and it didn't help that his nerves were on hyper drive.<p>

Rachel rolled her eyes slightly, holding back the smile that was threatening to come out as a result of Puck's fidgety figure. She had always found it hilarious when he, who prided himself on always coming off cool and collected, got nervous.

She knew smiling would completely ruin her plan of remaining cold and distant throughout this encounter, so she simply said a "Morning Noah" in a clipped voice and sat down.

He deflated a bit at her tone, but slid in across from her, ready to start the conversation that had been playing out in his mind for the past six years.

Tension hung thick in the air between them. She refused to meet his eyes at first, instead staring coldly at the table. She wasn't going to be the first to say anything, for she knew that as soon as she started speaking, she would never let him get his so-called "explanation" out, which was the whole reason she agreed to this stupid meeting in the first place. If he wanted to talk to her so badly, HE was going to have to be the one to begin.

His heart seemed to be beating at a million miles per second; he was a bit afraid that Rachel might be able to hear it. He knew he had to say something, but there seemed to be something huge caught in his throat that was causing him to choke. He needed to explain. This was the chance he had been praying for for so long, and there she was, the woman of his dreams, right in front of him, and he couldn't speak.

Idiot. He was such a mute idiot.

"TALK. Say something! Anything!" He was screaming at himself inside his head. It had been a solid 5 minutes and still nothing had been said.

Finally, he cleared his throat, which caused Rachel to jump slightly. She looked up at him for the first time since she had sat down, her glare causing him to falter once again. This time however, he swallowed his nervousness and spoke, knowing that it was now or never.

"I just want to start off by saying how, for one, I'm so beyond thankful that you agreed to meet with me." He paused slightly, trying to gauge her reaction. She simply nodded her head ever so slightly, her hard eyes not giving away a single one of her emotions, besides the obvious anger.

He kept going, deciding right there and then that bluntness was the only tactic he was going to use during the duration of this conversation.

"Secondly, I just… I just want to express how… I am so fucking sorry Rachel." The words began to tumble out of his mouth in a rushed and emotional fashion.

"Sorry is nowhere near enough, I know that, but I just need to get it out there before I start explaining things. I am so extremely sorry for everything. I'm sorry for leaving, for hurting you, for not explaining, for… for just absolutely everything. I know "everything" is a broad term, but if I tried listing out every single thing I was sorry for then we would be here a while, and I know you probably don't want to just sit here while I list all those things. But, I mean, if you do want me to go through that list I totally could. I could even just write it down for you to read later because then you wouldn't have to just sit there and listen to all…"

Rachel held up her hand, which caused Puck to stutter to a halt.

She cleared her throat a bit before uttering out a cold "Just continue Puckerman. I'm giving you thirty minutes. Use it wisely."

He recoiled a bit, but quickly composed himself and began again.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. So, I guess I should start with my explanation. Okay. Okay…" He trailed off, his whole speech that he had down to a science flying out the window. He glanced around the shop quickly, sorting through what he wanted to say. When he looked back at Rachel, he searched her face quickly. Always the talented actress, she had all her features trained expertly to give away nothing, but as he looked closer into her eyes, he could see the slight waver in them, the tiny break in her façade, which gave him the push he needed to put everything out on the table.

"I left you. I left my son. I understand how completely horrible you must think I am, and I totally agree with you in that. What I did was stupid, reckless, juvenile, all of that, and I understand how you should just slap me or something, scream, and refuse to ever see me again…Refuse to let me see my son ever again,"

"You're damn right. On all of that." Rachel ground out. "Honestly, I would really appreciate it if you didn't refer to him as "your" son either, seeing how you only just saw him for the first time yesterday." Her eyes held a rage that scared the living shit out of Puck, but he gulped down his fear and nodded.

"Okay. How about our son? Is that better?"

She turned her head slightly, looking over towards the counter. "Fine." Just as Puck was about to begin again, she whipped her head back towards him. "I am going to allow you to finish, but just know, it is taking all the self-control I possess not rip your head off, figuratively and literally, right now. The only thing I want to hear out of your mouth is why in the hell you abandoned me and MY son six years ago. I do not give a fuck about anything else. Do I make myself clear?" At her raised eyebrow, Puck simply nodded. She nodded back, and turned her gaze again to the counter.

He took another pause, then began to retell the night that had been haunting his nightmares for the past six years.

"Six years ago, after graduation, when I went back to my house before the party, something happened… Well, more like someone happened but I mean… It just… It changed everything. It made me question things… I was stupid and I let it influence me. Filled my mind with all these disillusioned thoughts. I really thought that I was doing what was best…"

Rachel scoffed loudly, her resolve slipping as she spoke, still keeping her icy gaze on the counter. "What was best? Yeah, abandoning your pregnant girlfriend. Leaving her to raise a baby on her own. That was clearly the best option. The best option for you that is. A pathetic, immature, careless son of a…"

"My dad came back"

Rachel's head whipped around, her eyes widening as her gaze meet Puck's frazzled one, the rest of her words lost on her lips. She stared at him, openly questioning, for a few seconds before mumbling a quiet "What?"

"He came back. He was at my house when I came home. He had heard about you, about us, and he just started saying all this shit about how I was going to turn out just like him, how we would be like him and Ma. How I wouldn't be able to provide and we would wither away into this horrible couple who hated each other and how my kid would grow up in this loveless, desperate life. He kept saying how I would fail you, no matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I loved you and our kid. You didn't deserve that, and our kid damn well didn't either."

He took her stunned silence as a good sign, so he quickly continued. "So, I figured that there was only one way I could save you from the clusterfuck that was that horrible life; save you from having to be with someone like my dad. I figured that if I went out and prepared a good life for us, made myself into a good, successful man who could provide, that I could give both of you the life you deserved. I knew you would have never let me go off and do that without you, so I thought that the only way was to leave without telling you. After the first year, I realized how bad a plan it was, but I figured that I had already started it, so I finished it. I went to college, got a degree, and started a business. I made a name for myself so that I could give you and our son the life that both of you truly deserved. Rachel, I know how insane this sounds, and how horribly I fucked everything up, but I really did try to do what I thought was best for the both of you. I didn't want to be my father."

He took a big gulp of air, feeling a weight being lifted off of him now that everything was out in the open with her. He studied her, noticing by her expression how she was working through everything he just said. She broke out of her confused trance quickly however, and when she did, the rage returned.

"I'm sorry. Let me get this straight. The reason you LEFT me and our son six years ago, and the reason you haven't returned until now, thereby earning you the appropriate title of "absentee father", was because you didn't want to be like your horrible, and also appropriately titled "absentee father". You left me then so that you wouldn't leave me later? So that you wouldn't cause me and our son distress? Yet, by leaving, without a word mind you, that is ALL you did? Do you grasp how screwed up this whole thing is? How bad you messed our lives up? How broken you left me? Not to mention how our son doesn't even know his real father? I had to work around that! Had to figure out a way to explain to a little boy why his real father wasn't around, especially when I had no freaking idea why to begin with! Now, you sit here, and have the audacity to think that I am just going to go along with your aforementioned plan because you did it all for "our" benefit? Are you kidding me?! You're so disillusioned. I can't even believe you. I don't even know what the hell I am supposed to say to you!"

She had to stop to take a breath, her nostrils flaring. She had practically snarled out the last few sentences. She rested her elbows on the table and rested her forehead on her hands as she steadied her breathing.

Even though he knew that this all was coming, it still sliced through him like a freshly sharpened blade. He understood how wrong he had been, but there was still a tiny part of him that clung to the hope that she would understand somehow. That they would work through this, whatever the cost. He would give anything to be with her again, get to know his son.

That hope was still there, resting just below the surface as he slowly began again. "You don't have to say anything to me. Take all the time you need, really. I just wanted you to know the truth. I know it's a longshot, I really do, but I'm back now. I'm here, I promise, and I would love to be a part of our son's life, of your life, in any way you'd let me. I just want to get to know him, to help you in any way I can."

Rachel lifted her head out of her hands, shaking her head, tears blurring her vision. The sight of her watery eyes hurt Puck more than any of her previous words during this encounter had. She just kept shaking her head, the tears freely falling now. "No. No, no, I can't… I can't do this. I need to go."

Puck's eyes grew wide, the hope in him shrinking faster and faster as he watched her pick up her purse and shakily stand. "Rachel, please, can we just talk about this. I know how hard this must be for you, but I really want to…

"NO!" Her booming voice carried through the shop, causing many other Lima Bean patrons to look in their direction. She glanced around, took in a shaky breath, and glanced back at their table. "No. I don't want to discuss anything with you. There isn't anything to discuss. You left, and even though you thought you were doing it for the right reasons, the fact still stands that you left me and you left Eli and I can't…"

"Eli?" Puck breathed out. "His name is Eli?"

Rachel continued to stare intently at the table, refusing to meet Puck's burning stare. "Yes. His name is Eli. As I was saying, nothing changes the fact that you left us for six years. We have made a life without you, and honestly, there is no room for you anymore. Not now, not ever. This ends here."

The sentence hung in the air like thick smoke, causing Puck to choke down the air as he breathed in. There was nothing he could say. He had explained himself, had told Rachel all he could to try to make her understand, and his worse fear had come true. She was done with him; she wasn't going to forgive him. He had lost his chance. He had lost everything.

She finally looked up him, tear tracks clearly visible on her cheeks. Her giant, expressive eyes, the ones that he had fallen in love with all those years ago, showed how much all of this had truly broken her, which made him unravel even more. "I need to go."

He nodded, all fight in him lost. Her eyes studied his for a fleeting moment, like she was trying to memorize him for the last time. She turned to go, but stopped short, turning her head and uttering a low "Goodbye Noah." Then, straightening her shoulders and holding her head high, she walked out of the Lima Bean, choking back a sob as soon as the glass door shut behind her.

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><p>He watched her go, saw her shoulders shake as she turned on the sidewalk outside and walked out of his sight. He closed his eyes, letting one tear escape before lowering his head into his hands.<p>

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><p><strong>Okay! I know it was kind of long, but I really just wanted to get this whole scene done. This is NOT the end, I promise :) &amp;, like I said before, I am going to finish this story, and that means I will be updating a lot more frequently. My plan and goal is to be close to the end, or done by the time I go to college at the end of August, so :) <strong>

**Thanks again for reading and coming back after all this time! Review if you'd like! (It would literally make my whole week if you did)**

**3, D**


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